Why Water?

Every day in rural communities throughout sub-Saharan Africa, millions of people suffer from a lack of access to clean, safe water. For school-aged children it's a burden that traps them in poverty.

Globally, 1 in 9 people still have no access to clean water. But in the communities we serve, it's 9 out of 9. Water is a daily and crippling challenge. Without water you can't grow food, you can't build housing, you can't stay healthy, you can't stay in school and you can't keep working.

Today, hope is on hold in over half of the developing world's primary schools without access to water and sanitation.

But the water crisis can be solved.

Children often bear the burden of walking miles each day to find water in streams and ponds, full of water-borne disease that is making them and their families sick.Illness and the time lost fetching it robs entire communities of their futures.

Access to safe water is foundational to the development of any community. Safe and reliable water restores hope and unlocks potential.

Girls under the age of 15 are twice as likely as boys to be the family member responsible for fetching water. We believe she deserves to take water for granted, just like you. To pursue a hopeful future, she needs water - every day.

Access to water can break the cycle of poverty. The communities we serve are ready to grow. We can't wait to see how they choose to do it.

Your support trains and equips in-country teams who build and restore water points in Kenya, Uganda and Sierra Leone. Your gift funds local solutions to local problems, creating opportunity all along the way.

Access to safe water improves the health of families and children, keeps girls in school, gives people back their time lost collecting water, and empowers the leaders of tomorrow. No wonder it’s estimated that every $1 invested in water and sanitation programs yields up to $12 in economic returns.

Your support will make that true in the lives of people every day, as they are able to rely on safe water through The Water Project.